Many gardeners fear chickens will peck away at their landscape, and chicken lovers often shy away from gardening for the same reason. But you can keep chickens and have a beautiful garden, too! Fresh eggs aren't the only benefit — chickens can actually help your garden grow and thrive, even as your garden does the same for your chickens.

In this essential handbook, award-winning garden designer Jessi Bloom covers everything a gardener needs to know, including chicken-keeping basics, simple garden plans to get you started, tips on attractive fencing options, the best plants and plants to avoid, and step-by-step instructions for getting your chicken garden up and running.

For anyone who wants a fabulous garden where colorful chickens happily roam, Free-Range Chicken Gardens is the guide that will bring the dream home to roost.

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Product Description

Review

Bloom's obvious enthusiasm for creative design and for her birds will inspire both novice and experienced chicken owners to create a garden space that hens and humans can inhabit harmoniously. (American Gardener)

"Bloom's obvious enthusiasm for creative design and for her birds will inspire both novice and experienced chicken owners to create a garden space that hens and humans can inhabit harmoniously." (American Gardener)

"This well-thought-out and thoroughly comprehensive new book covers the topic so efficiently and completely that it is bound to become the gardener's go -to reference when chickens are the focus."

(The Republican Journal)

“A comprehensive guide from mating to medicine that will particularly help beginners…Bloom makes a persuasive case.”

“A fun new book.”

“If you have a backyard flock or you’re thinking of getting one, I would highly recommend this book as part of your poultry library.”

“Everything you want to know about gardening with chickens…is here."

“Exquisitely produced and artfully photographed.”

“Bloom’s obvious enthusiasm for good design and for her birds will inspire both novice and experienced chicken owners to create a garden space for hens and humans to enjoy.”

“Jessi Bloom’s new book is as lush and inspiring as the chicken paradise featured on the front.”

"Jessi Bloom’s new book is as lush and inspiring as the chicken paradise featured on the front."

“Solves the dilemma of having free-range chickens and a vegetable garden.”

“Well-written and would be a true asset to every chicken owner. This book has now become one of my favorite chicken books.”

“I can honestly refer to it as the Chicken Bible for Gardeners. With everything from coop design, dietary needs, to chicken personality explained, this book seems to leave nothing out.”

“Dispenses good, commonsense advice.”

“Tackles the very fear that keeps so many from the enjoyment of raising their own backyard flock.”

“I love this book. It has the two things I look for in any garden book: tons of solidly researched, well-written, detailed information and lots of big inspirational color photos.”

“Complete with gorgeous photos, diagrams, plans, and a very well written and easy to understand approach, you will want to get your hands upon this book if you have ever dreamed of incorporating chickens into your lifestyle.”

“Jessi’s approach is unique in that she’s a landscape designer and a chicken owner.”

“I’ve had chickens for four years and I wish that I could have had Jessi Bloom’s new book in the beginning.”

“Provides a good overview on coop building styles and considerations, very basic chicken care info, do-grow/don’t-grow plant lists for the chicken garden and lots and lots of gorgeous inspirational pictures.”

“The only book I have seen that tells you exactly how you can have your chickens AND your garden too.”

If your garden fantasies involve chickens, Jessi Bloom, author of FREE-RANGE CHICKEN GARDENS: How to Create a Beautiful, Chicken-Friendly Yard (Timber Press, paper, $19.95), is here to make those dreams come true. Chickens bring out interesting characters. My new heroine is Elizabeth Zumwalt, a chicken whisperer, educator and entrepreneur who blogs about her family’s Bantam hens, sells eggs and gives half the proceeds to charity. She pulls a red wagon, topped with a chicken house, when she heads out to educate people about her birds. Elizabeth is 9 years old.

By the time you’re done with Bloom’s clever book, you’ll know almost as much about chickens as Elizabeth does. And maybe more about what chickens like than what your children do. You’ll be looking for bug logs and creating dust baths. You’ll know that chickens like to have mirrors hanging in their gardens — but take care with the angle, since they have eyes on the sides of their heads. There is no end to the vanity of a chicken.

“Experienced free-ranging chickens” — now that’s a real sign of the times; do chickens no longer have a tribal memory of roaming? — will know not to eat toxic berries, but Bloom is an expert guide for the untutored. Somehow, I’m sure that chickens prefer heirloom vegetables to any other variety. And while your flock may break free to cross the road, you’ll be relieved to learn that (unless they have an unfortunate encounter with a car) they’ll probably be no worse for the wear. Chickens don’t sweat.

Bloom genially celebrates geodesic domes and shingled coops with stone chimneys and even clean-lined modernist coops. She also writes about “naughty” chickens: “Chickens are social and hormonal creatures, and when we have them living in ways that are different from how they would live naturally, they are prone to behaviors that can be damaging to themselves or that are simply normal but just catch us off guard.” You might have thought she was talking about teenagers, but I now see that they’re easier to raise than chickens. I’m thinking . . . roast chicken with that rosemary?

About the Author

Kate Baldwin lives and gardens in Portland, Oregon. She has contributed to gardening books, newspapers, and magazines including Portland Monthly, where her column, Dig, and gardening blog, Plantwise, appear.

Jessi Bloom is an award-winning ecological landscape designer, professional horticulturalist, and certified arborist. She is lead designer and owner of N.W. Bloom—EcoLogical Landscapes, known for innovation in sustainable landscape design, construction, and maintenance. Jessi is committed to educating others and now spends much of her time teaching, consulting, and speaking nationwide in addition to designing landscapes. Her best-selling book Free-Range Chicken Gardens has been praised for being informative and inspiring, changing the way people integrate animals into their landscapes. Recognition for her work includes awards from the Washington State Department of Ecology, the American Horticultural Society, Pacific Horticulture magazine, Sunset magazine, the Washington State Nursery and Landscape Association, and the Washington Association of Landscape Professionals. She lives north of Seattle with her sons on her permaculture homestead.

Most helpful customer reviews

T his book was terrific. A good buy. We have used it with our yard and the chickens love the plants that were added. When they can't get out of the yard, due to preditors, they have things to scratch in, plus the yard looks lovely. I have loaned this to friends who have gone on to buy their own copy.

This is a lovely looking book the pictures are beautiful. Having had chickens for the last 11 years and letting mine free range I decided to give this book a try to see what advice it would give. My hens are great but they do tend to go to areas of my garden I wish they would not (normally the newly laid mulch or prize flower beds) I have read mixed reviews on this book but I still went ahead and purchased. Yes if you have had years of experience with chickens some of the literature given you will of read before, but you will get this with most books. I could relate to the author who has used her expertise and improvements to write this book and I found some information in here that is not in other books. I enjoyed this book and if you are looking at free ranging your hens and other poultry/ducks this is a good book to start with it incorporates gardening and poultry two great things to do (in my world anyway!)

Great book and fun to read. Recommended to anyone who want`s to have/build something different and enjoyable. Lots of Ideas and details. Love the plant information pertaining to the safety of the birds.